Imaginaut Sam

he/him

4.9

(8)

Timezone

Etc/gmt

Language

English

Identity

Veteran

Neurodivergent

Voice Actor

Game Designer

About Imaginaut Sam

I'm a dreamer. I've been dreaming of imaginary people, places and climactic events since I was introduced to D&D at age 8! I began my TTRPG journey with AD&D and have since played the more modern editions, classic systems like Call of Cthulhu as well as recent contemporary systems like Forged in the Dark and Daggerheart. Whilst I began as a player, it did not take long for the GMing bug to bite, and bite hard. Once it had, I was hooked. I began homebrewing systems more than a decade ago and that has led to the development of a modular, classless, setting-agnostic system, which I hope to introduce to StartPlaying.Games in the future. I am a 'Weird Fantasy' worldbuilder inspired by fantasy, sc-fi and anime and I'm bored of elves and dwarves and orcs. I craft multi-threaded narratives around—and because of—player actions in these dynamic settings. I am an expert in medium-form theatre of the mind, reactive campaigns with cinematic, satisfying climaxes. I think TTRPGs are the best way to tell stories. Magic becomes real at the crossroads of collective imagination and emotional investment. The relationship between GM and players can be a positive feedback loop, reinforcing and improving the experience for everyone and that is what I hope to create at all of my tables. I am no therapist, but I am profoundly and personally aware of the healing and transformational power of TTRPGs. Come join the Imaginaut Studios Discord server: https://discord.gg/rWgBCV9zNu

At a glance

Less than a year on StartPlaying

Highly rated for: Creativity, World Builder, Storytelling

Featured Prompts

My favorite books are

Stormlight Archive, Kingkiller Chronicle, Nevernight Chronicle, Chaos Walking, Gentleman Bastards, Green Bone Saga, Perdido Street Station Saga, Monstress BLEACH, Kagurabachi, Gachiakuta

My favorite shows/movies are

Critical Role, Dimension 20 Midst, Unend, Worlds Beyond Number FullMetal Alchemist Brotherhood, Arcane, Code Geass The Dark Knight, Arrival, Everything Everywhere All At Once, Summer Wars, Into/Across the Spider-Verse, Your Name, Suzume, The Boy and the Beast

When I'm not running games I'm...

working on my homebrew TTRPG system. A classless, modular, setting-agnostic game system with player freedom, customisation and ease of creation at the heart of the design. If you want to be a boxing wizard who punches fireballs from their knuckles, you can be in my system.

How Imaginaut Sam runs games

Are you looking for a dynamic, theatrical campaign influenced by shonen anime and modern fantasy bestsellers where the rule of cool reigns supreme and YOU get to make the big moments right alongside the GM? With more than two decades of experience as both player and GM, my style is player-enabling, permissive and collaborative, within reason. My campaigns are medium-form in length and narratively flexible for ongoing character arcs in a blend of roleplay and cinematic action driven with an intense pace to reach satisfying endings for all players. Imaginative theatre-of-the-mind combat, high-stakes chases and dramatic confrontations between characters all take place in vivid, 'weird fantasy' homebrew worlds or established settings. My narration style is dramatic and detailed, painting vibrant pictures with words to set scenes and introduce characters. Depending on the tonal needs of the scene, I can modify my style to raise tension and force quick decisions, or slow down to honour a sombre moment, or provoke combat that exists to expand the plot and explore further depths of the characters. 'Sam has a wonderful way of building engaging worlds and makes distinct and unique NPC's that you love to hate.' - Yusuf 'Prince Simba' Ikramawi 'Sam is one of the best GMs I've had.' - Katie Wilkie 'I've never felt more like an anime character!' - Adam Kadow

Featured Prompts

If my games were Movies they'd be directed by...

I'd like to say Denis Villeneuve or Christopher Nolan. I hope people agree with me!

I once ran a session...

for a 24 hour charity event. Technically it was three 7 hour interconnected one-shots, with time for character creation and food breaks. But still, I think it counts!

Imaginaut Sam's ideal table

My tables focus on dramatic collaborative storytelling with room for occasional crazy shenanigans. Roleplay is a big part of my sessions and the best moments are when the players guide the scenes themselves with occasional GM intervention to spice things up and maintain momentum. I try to be every character's biggest cheerleader and hype man, so any player that joins me in that excitement will always be a welcome addition to the table. Fastidious note-takers earn brownie points in my book but it is not required or expected.

Featured Prompts

I love it when a player

gets so invested in a campaign that they are spending time outside of the campaign thinking about it. That level of engagement and commitment to the imagination makes everything in a campaign so much more resonant and cathartic.